How Angels Fall
by Cyborgscouse
Summary: Oneshot, maybe. Set in the same universe as 'Five years gone.' As time passes you let go of things from your past, things that meant everything and now don't That's what you tell yourself anyway because it makes it a little easier to live the lie.


Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes and I never will

Summary: Oneshot, maybe. Set in the same universe as 'Five years gone.' As time passes you let go of things from your past, things that meant everything and now don't That's what you tell yourself anyway because it makes it a little easier to live the lie.

_Italics: POV_

_Five years was the last time I'd seen her, it doesn't seem that long when you think about it like that. When she first vanished without a trace my world came down, sad I know but true at the same time; she was my best friend in Odessa, my only friend. Maybe I thought there was more there then it actually was. The worst thing was that everyone seemed to forget her within a week, the house was repaired but no one ever moved into it; forcing it to become a child's myth about why it was empty for so long, I could be the only person that's lived there long enough to know the truth anymore. After High school it was rare for anyone to stay in town, the only other person was Brody, no memory and still going to therapy lowered his choices of what he wanted to be since everyone had thought he was going to be an MVP. Me? I stayed there for the 'just in case', five years is a long time to hold onto hope, I didn't think that today would be the day I'd see her anymore, no I stopped that when I was forced to let go of childish dreams._

_So I was stunned after I got a letter from her, well if you want to be right about it; it was an invitation. A wedding invite from Claire and some guy called Andy, just how she knew that I still lived in Odessa I had no idea but considering what she was and could do it kinda of made sense that she'd know someone who could find that out for her. I used to be that someone. After my mind calmed down that she knew where I lived my stomach dropped as I registered it was a wedding invitation, she was getting married to someone. I knew I had no reason to feel like I'd just been drop kicked, but there was still a part of me that was the seventeen year old boy that Claire saved those smiles for which lit up her eyes and made you feel like you were the only person in the world. _

_Now all I had to do was walk inside that building and take my seat like a god guest would but I couldn't force myself to push away from the tree I was standing under, I was all set to be there dressed in a suit and everything. But once I pulled up outside the church my body locked up and I just knew that this wasn't something that I could do, the tree offered shade from the sun beating down on me as well as allowing me to be able to see anyone that walked out of the church. I couldn't believe that I was hiding out under a tree because a small part of me felt like I had been betrayed. At first I wasn't going to turn up at all, I had copied the number down from the invitation and was all set to phone Claire up and tell her that I wouldn't be able to make it. If her knowing where I lived had shocked me then a phone call four days later from her asking why she hadn't heard back from me about the wedding could have given me a heart attack. I'd never been a good liar when thinking on the spot which was why I hadn't come up with an excuse yet and why I was here._

_The doors opening dragged me from my own thoughts and unnoticeably I took a step closer to the tree blocking more of my body from view while keeping my eyes trained on the door and who came out. Out of the group of people that rushed out I could only recognize three of them and two I had seen but never met, Claire's younger brother Lyle walked out with a grin on his face looking so much older than an extra five years would have given him but I had no idea what had happened during that time. The next was Peter, Claire's uncle, the man that had saved her life at Homecoming and one of the reasons she had fled without a word. After that night she had turned up at my house to talk about what he meant when he said 'save the cheerleader, save the world' if you didn't know the last man who came out then you must have been living under a rock. Nathan. Claire's real dad not think fake one that had my memories erased. Yeah I knew about that, a few months after Claire had left a Haitian knocked on my door telling me he was there to 'give what had been unjustly taken' maybe it was the influence of my older memories that had forced me to stay so long; looking back on them it seemed like me and Claire were closer then best friends._

_And then there she was, bouncing out arm in arm with her new husband looking as beautiful as ever. How someone so tiny could hold such power over people made no sense to me but not a lot did these days. The smiles on her father, uncle and brother's faces showed just how proud they were of her. The smile on my own face was a lot more bitter-sweet, I'd always been proud of her, when the new report said there had been some type of explosion in New York but no one had been hurt I knew she had something to do with it. That grin that I had come used to seeing looked like it was going to need surgery to remove, I could tell though that it wasn't reaching her eyes maybe that was because I didn't want it to; call it selfish but there was something's that I want to stay special to the time that she was with me. Watching her head spin from side to side I was transfixed with watching how her hair blew around her face making her look more like an angel cross model that was when it hit me she was looking for someone. Me? _

_I would have been so easy for me to walk over the church yard and talk to her, so easy and yet so painful. Could I honestly be happy for her right now when everything I had wanted had been smashed apart? Looking at her I knew my answer, no I couldn't but I could fake it. Ready to take a step that would bring me out of the shade and into view if anyone turned to look in my direction I once again froze as I saw azure eyes staring at me, those same eyes lit but when she realised just who I was and there was nothing I could do to stop for smiling back at her, despite everything it was a genuine smile only traces of pain on it. Watching as she turned to her husband no doubt telling him where she was going, I knew that was my chance and I disappeared behind the tree before making my way to my car. While I was trying to be happy for her from a distance I didn't think that I could keep up the act if she came to talk to me._

"Zach?"


End file.
